


Bullies

by child_of_the_Sea



Series: They Grow Up So Fast [1]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies)
Genre: Bullying, F/M, Kid! Tauriel, Legriel friendship, friends support each other, kid!legolas - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-16
Updated: 2017-10-16
Packaged: 2019-01-18 08:08:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12384258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/child_of_the_Sea/pseuds/child_of_the_Sea
Summary: Legolas and Tauriel get bullied by some older kids. They want to tell, but they don't want each other to get hurt. Two-shot.





	Bullies

**Author's Note:**

> This is kind of a prequel to my Flight of Dragons series. Mainly why Athlen hates them so much.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Tauriel giggled and ducked under the guard’s legs. She almost never got direct permission to run off, but she found it so much fun. Especially when her best friend went with her. His mother, Queen Ayana, never really cared where her son went. If they were back by sundown, alive and relatively unharmed, no questions were asked, by her at least. Thranduil sometimes cared, if Legolas was hurt, but past that, not really.

She ducked behind a bush and sat down, listening.

“Lord Legolas! Oh, I am very sorry!”

Her friend’s smooth voice answered. “It’s okay. It’s fine. I won’t hold it against you.”

Tauriel giggled again and snuck away, darting under bushes and low-hanging branches.

 _Thunk!_ A fist hit her stomach, hard. She doubled over and fell face-first onto the loam.

“Just what are you doing?” She recognized the slimy voice, and the background snickers that accompanied it.

“Leave me alone.”

The bully’s response was to grab her by the hair and sling her over his shoulder. She fought him, but to no avail. When he finally dropped her on her seat, they were deep in the forest and far away for any patrols.

“Leave me alone, Athlen.” Tauriel curled into a ball and tucked her face against her chest, wishing the older boy would go away.

“Answer my question, and you’ll increase your chances.”

She glared up at him. It went against her grain to just give in. “Leave me alone.”

One of the others grabbed both her wrists in one hand and lifted her off the ground. He dropped her on her feet. His fist collided with her face and pain shot through her left eye. She clapped her hands over it, wincing but not showing it.

Athlen repeated his question. “Where are you going?”

“I was just going to the archery field.” she mumbled, looking at her shoes.

“Yeah, right.” He pointed a finger over her shoulder. “The field is the other way,  _opposite_ the way you were going. And you don’t look like you have a bow to practice with.”

She gave him a death stare with her other eye. 

“Athlen. Please. Leave Tauriel alone.” Legolas’s voice was a welcome sound. Soft, but demanding obedience.

The older boy stood over the prince and stared down at him, head and shoulders taller. “No, I don’t think I will.” His fist struck Legolas’s nose. The blow sent him to the ground.

But Legolas just got right back up and wiped some of the blood off his face. “I asked you politely to leave her alone. If you don’t, I _will_ tell my father.”

 _Thanks, Legolas. Stupid move, but a brave one._ she thought. _He does that_ way _too often for his own safety._

Athlen’s friends chuckled. “No you won’t.” one said. She yelped in response to his sudden hold on the collar of her tunic. "I'll knock her out if you do.”

Reinforcing his statement, he put her in a sleeper hold. She squirmed out of it, but her collar caught in his hand again and he slammed her into a tree trunk. The older elf dropped her roughly onto the ground.

“Keep your mouth shut, _Sindar_.” he spat in an insulting, bitter tone.

Legolas ignored the veiled insult aimed at him and his family. “Alright, fine. Leave her alone, and I won’t tell.”

Tauriel pushed herself up and stomped over to Athlen. "Even if he won’t, I will. Lady Ayana will whup your hide when she finds out. I’ll make sure.”

He chuckled. “Sure she will. If she finds out, which she will not.”

She stuck out her tongue. “Yes she will.”

“She won’t, because if you do tell,” Athlen grasped Legolas’s arm and twisted it, causing the younger boy to give a sharp cry of pain. “I’ll break his wrist.”

Tauriel’s eye flicked between the bully and her friend. She didn’t want him hurt. After all, he was the crown prince, and if he were hurt, the whole kingdom might end up in chaos. But, questions would be asked and they would demand answers. Athlen would be stopped and he’d leave them alone. Even so, he was her friend.

She sighed and slumped her shoulders. “Fine. I won’t tell.”

Athlen gave her a triumphant smile, which changed to a smirk. “Just to make sure.” He squeezed and twisted more, making Legolas cry out again and causing an audible crack. When the bully did let go, Legolas tucked his arm against his chest, gently cradling it.

Tauriel’s jaw dropped and she stared. She’d just said she wouldn’t tell. Why had he done that? “Why’d you do that for? I just said I wouldn’t tell!”

Legolas grabbed her arm with his good hand. “No. I don’t want you hurt.  Leave this alone, and let’s go.”

Tauriel pulled her arm out of Legolas’s grasp and glared, but she followed him.

They walked until they reached a small rocky pool. Legolas washed the blood off his face. “You okay?” he asked after examining his wrist.

She nodded, numb to the rest of the world. Athlen had just gone back on his word. No elf went back on their word. To anyone. Orcs were the exception, but they were also Orcs. But to other elves? No one would go back on their word. And especially not to Legolas, prince of the Woodland Realm! She knew very little of diplomacy, but to fail to honor a promise made to him could be counted as treason. She didn’t know why, but it did.

“Hey.” Legolas scooted closer to her. “I know he broke his word. I’m going to let it go, just this once. But next time this happens, I will tell my father. Promise.”

Tauriel tried to smile, but she could feel painful bruises forming on her stomach and left shoulder. “But we should get back. I don’t want to have Athlen track us down again. And, once we’re inside the private areas others aren’t allowed in, who says we can’t tell?”

He sighed. “Tried and failed. I was about to tell Ada when some elf came in screaming nonsense about Orcs. Athlen followed me and I ended up with several bruises.” He squinted at her. “You have a bad black eye, you know.”

She nodded. “Yes, I know.”

“What are we going to tell my parents?”

“That I ran into a tree.”

Legolas sniggered. “You honestly think they will believe that?”

“Fine. I fell out of a tree. That better?” Tauriel retorted.

“Even less believable.”

“Shut up.” She pulled her knees up to her chest and put her chin on her knees. Then she sighed. “Sorry. I-I just want him to stop. I can’t believe he gets away with it.”

Legolas laid his arm over her shoulders, wincing slightly. “He only just gets away in the clear. He does that to a lot of younger children so they’ll keep it secret.”

“Legolas?” Tauriel looked him in the eye. “If I did tell, and you got hurt, would you be mad at me?”

“No. No, I wouldn’t. Because if you told, it’d stop happening.”


End file.
